Federal Way school board president indicted for theft

SEATTLE — The president of the Federal Way school board has been indicted on seven counts of felony theft.

William Anthony “Tony” Moore Jr., 49, is accused of stealing more than $150,000 worth of truck tires last year from a tire store based in Portland, Ore., The Seattle Times reported Tuesday.

Moore did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Moore unsuccessfully ran for the state House last year. He has served on the school board since 2008. His current term ends 2015.

Authorities allege Moore, who owns a used-tire brokerage in Federal Way south of Seattle, worked with an employee of GCR Tire Centers in Portland as part of a scheme to steal more than $150,000 of tractor-trailer tires between March and October 2012.

That employee, Tracy E. Holmquist, has been convicted of seven counts of aggravated theft and is serving 19 months in prison, said Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Dennis Shen.

Moore had frequently visited the Portland tire store to salvage used tires for his own business, Multnomah County sheriff’s Detective Ken Yohe told the Times. Yohe said Moore arranged with Holmquist “to look the other way while he stole the newer tires over a period of seven or eight months.”

The grand jury handed down its indictment Aug. 23. King County deputies arrested Moore on Sept. 17 at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, as he was set to leave on a school district trip to Europe with other school board members.

Moore has posted $50,000 bond and was released from King County Jail on Friday.